


Roughhouse

by Mongol



Category: Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-27 21:46:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6301573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mongol/pseuds/Mongol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luviagelita Edelfelt and Tohsaka Rin don't exactly get along. But, as the Finns say: "The horse kicks out of love, too."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're wondering, this is set in the Prisma Illya continuity, not the usual FSN one. Reviews would be appreciated.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't Fate, Prisma or any of the like. If I did I'd write a sequel.

* * *

 

A long black limousine with darkened windows rolled to a stop in front of the Edelfelt mansion, carrying two young ladies of the highest repute and finest manners.

Tohsaka Rin, the promising heir of the Tohsaka family, pushed the car door open and bent her head down to step out. Luviagelita Edelfelt, her just as talented and noble rival, poked Rin below the ribs with her fingers, causing her to wince and smash her head on the doorframe. The blonde stepped out the next, but not before her rival gave her a painful kick in the shin. The girls cleared the grimace of pain from their faces to better look fine and presentable for that short moment it took for the gate behind them to be slammed shut. Their daily truce, put on for the sake of cover identities, never lasted the time it took them to walk from the gate to the mansion door. Not every day came as close to a vulgar brawl in the street as this one did.

Rin waited for the worst pain to subside before she went to the attack again. ”You really put on a show for that new girl.”

”You object to that?” Luvia glanced over.

”Ooh, miss Fujisaki, I shall do my utmost to ensure your most pleasant stay at Homuhara High School...” Rin said and waved her hands about, trying her best to imitate Luvia's extravagant manner of speech.

”Tch.” The blonde shot an angry glare. ”A proper lady is ever helpful.”

”Sure. I didn't believe a word of it.”

”Maliciousness is a trait which runs in your family.”

”You'd tear that girl to bits if she ever got in your way.”

”And you wouldn't, Tohsaka Rin? ” The blonde stood still. ”How sentimental of you.”

”I'd be subtle about it.”

”Fitting your underhanded and vile nature.”

”Blonde cow.”

”Monkey.”

A sharp kick took strands of Luvia's golden blonde hair with it it. The blonde dodged backwards, grinning as she went. ”Sloppy, Tohsaka Rin.”

Rin kicked again and failed to catch the blonde who dodged the blows with ease, smiling as she went. Rin gave up. It wasn't worth embarassing herself any more than she already had.

”There's work for you later on, servant.” Luvia said and walked off somewhere into the many passages of the Edelfelt mansion, leaving Rin alone in the courtyard.

Rin thought back on the day and why that episode with the new girl had even bothered her in the slightest. Luvia had that effect on everyone, she knew. But something about that gushing praise she showered on everyone irritated Rin immensely. Luvia was right, Rin knew. As Magi, they'd tear any of the girls they associated with into bits if they ever had to. It was only Zelretch's command that kept them from tearing each other apart. Though antagonistic, they knew each other very well. Too well for the false smiles and platitudes of the Clocktower. Life with the blonde wasn't all that bad. Rin got to live in a luxurious manor, ate the best of foods and wore the best of clothes, even if those clothes in question were frilly maid dresses. Not that comfort defined the two girl's daily life. They were still sharpening their fangs on each other, with daily bouts both verbal and physical.

That they spent their days punching each other went against the usual kind of common sense reserved for non-magi. But their entire assignment to Japan had been a farce from the start. Wouldn't it be common sense to not pair together, without supervision, the two heirs of two distinguished lines of powerful magi with a history of vendetta that went back decades? Would any sensible person give said heirs magical artifacts capable of supplying theoretically infinite amounts of prana? What kind of irresponsible madman would send this potentially earth-destructive duo halfway across the world in search of magical artifacts? Luvia and Rin both knew and they competed for a chance to become his apprentice. With that in mind, the fact that they spent their days punching each other felt like a sensible thing indeed. After all, it was the only thing they could consistently agree on.

Rin sighed and headed to her room to change. It was time to earn her outrageously high pay.

-

Luvia watched Rin scrub the floor in the main hallway. Though she occasionally forgot to act like it, Luviagelita Edelfelt remained certain she hated Tohsaka Rin. She hated how that one girl could so easily break the elegant composure that defined the Edelfelts. She hated her for being such a resourceful opponent. Most importantly, she hated Rin for being a Tohsaka. The Finn often pondered how things between the two might be had they not been born into that particular family dispute, the likes of which the Clocktower saw a great deal of.

Luvia didn't care much for Japan. It didn't matter much where in the world she as an Edelfelt went. Her family had the ability to build veritable fortresses for themselves wherever they wished, providing material comforts and safety, insulating themselves from the world. Even if somewhat confining, Luvia enjoyed the relief that these oases offered from her role as an admired heiress. With that in mind, Japan was like all the rest. But here, something had intruded upon her normally solitary life inside the walls of a mansion. First had come Miyu. Then had come Tohsaka Rin.

Miyu was a wonderful, lovely little creature that filled Luvia's days with happiness. Rin... was not. Her rival. Her partner on this assignment and as of late, her employee. A vicious, cunning employee that would smash heavy objects on Luvia's head whenever she got carried away with her amusement. A toy that she had put to work scrubbing the floors of her own mansion, amusing herself with Rin's clumsy efforts. But the Tohsaka heir learned quickly. Infuriatingly so. Whatever new task the blonde slave driver thought up, the Tohsaka heir would master in a matter of days to rid Luvia of her amusement. The clumsy, insecure movements of a novice were soon replaced by honed skills of an expert. At first, Luvia had thought mere floor scrubbing would be enough for a flimsy, frail girl like Rin, but the damn girl was like a snake. A venomous and stubborn one. It all got so immeasurably dull when the maid neither fumbled around with basic tasks nor snapped back at Luvia. Lately, Rin had simply ignored her.

Something new was needed. Something else than a new dress, even if this one had it's lackings. She scanned her servant from head to toe. Frills suited Tohsaka Rin wonderfully and Luvia's next design for a maid dress would add even more. There'd be some minor adjustments to the cut as well, something needed to be done about that waist – it quite simply didn't do justice to the curve of Rin's hips. Then there would be the headdress, but that might not be suitable with the twintails Rin insisted on, and then the…

Rin stared back at her employer. ”What? Something wrong with the dress?” She ruffled the folds.

Luvia snapped back to the present. Yes, plenty, but that could wait. She had a much better idea.

”No. Have the bath prepared.”

Rin stood in the corridor alone, wondering if she had torn the hem of her dress or not.

-

Rin stepped into the dressing room of the bath and immediately turned to leave.

”Stop.” Luvia snapped. The blonde slipped her fingers beneath the second strap of her dress and let it slide off. ”You'll be coming in with me once you're done with the laundry.”

Rin pulled the door shut behind her. ”You could have done that before I marched in.” She said and turned head away.

”Jealous?” Luvia said and let her dress fall on the floor.

”Disgusted.”

Luvia chuckled. She walked off, arm outstretched and dropped her bra on the floor, leaving Rin alone in the room with a disheveled mess of clothing and lingerie.

Rin cursed. Yet another display designed to perfectly irritate her. Luvia only ever made a mess when it was Rin's job to clean it up. Miyu was spared the chore of having the pick up the heiress' dirty lingerie from polished marble floors.

What did Luvia want this time? During her years in the Clocktower, Rin made numerous attempts to probe the other students of the academy for any scraps of information on the blonde's habits. Nobody seemed to know any more than what everyone else already did. That the Edelfelt heir was a talented, driven and beautiful girl, a young lady of the finest background, of the finest behavior, who acted with such grace that those who first met her could scarcely believe her to be the heir of a family both famous and infamous for bloody mercenary work. Many rumours and a small handful of facts were repeated about the heiress who always took up an entire floor of the Clocktower dormitories by herself. Was that simply yet another display of wealth and influence or just a sensible precaution for an infamous family? With the Edelfelts, nobody ever really knew. Experience told Rin that was exactly the way how the family wanted it.

That the heiress of an incomprehensibly rich family might be eccentric was to be expected, but for someone who made such a point of being elegant, Luviagelita Edelfelt had a penchant for the shockingly vulgar. This recent fascination with casual nudity had begun when Rin managed to wrangle a single concession from the Finn. From a normal person, that concession might have come after a polite request, but Luviagelita Edelfelt had only relented after Rin had bludgeoned her with a vase. A vase as expensive as the blonde girl's head was thick, Rin thought, but it had been more than worth it to be spared from the Blonde's snide remarks on her ”lacking” physique. Rin pondered if any of her fellow students would ever believe that the dignified Edelfelt heir was actually a streaker in the making or if such rumours were even worth spreading.

The weeks in Luvia's employ had taught Rin a thing or two about the blonde's routines. Her employer rarely talked over matters concerning their mutual assignment when bathing. ”Improper”, she called it. But after the earlier display in the dressing room, Rin didn't know what to expect. Certainly nothing ”proper”. Rin stripped down and folded her clothes away. The maid outfit she wore had to be the most expensive bit of clothing she had ever worn. She did not want to think how her employer had discovered her exact measurements without coming anywhere near her.

Luvia sat on the first stool from the door. She wore that calm smile on her face which Rin knew was reserved for those moments when Miyu was around the blonde girl. The massive ringlets of hair had dissolved into almost ropelike tendrils that hung from her face and on her back. She let go of the sponge and turned her face toward Rin. From a mask of serene and statuesque beauty, her expression turned into a smirk befitting any demon of hell.

”What?” Rin said.

”More work for you, slave.”

”Were you born a stuck-up cunt, or did you have to work at it?”

”If by that you mean how I became the heir of a venerable family of Magi, then it is a mixture of both.” Luvia flaunted her hair. ”You obviously would not know anything of either, but perhaps with my tutelage...”

Rin wished she had brought something with her. A shoe, a brick, or a large boulder of at least two tons, preferably three. Anything to throw at that infuriating smirk. Hell, a filthy pair of panties would have been enough. ”I'm going.”

”No, you are not.” Luvia stretched out her hand, holding in it a soapy sponge.

Rin took half a step to leave. For a moment she stood there, wondering what exactly it was that the blonde bimbo wanted this time. Then, she knew. ”No. No way in hell.”

”You will. Miyu is busy. I sent her off with Ilya.”

”You use that poor girl for your sick needs?”

”That poor girl is starved for intimacy.”

”You're starved for common sense, Edelfelt.”

”And you owe me money.”

Rin twitched as if yanked by a golden string. That cursed debt, the one thing that Luvia had on her. Smashing that priceless vase on her rival's head had been the greatest moment of her life, almost worth every bit it cost, even if had doomed her to hundreds of unpaid hours of work fulfilling more and more specific requests for the Edelfelt heir. This new task was on a whole new level of arrogance. But after the frilly dresses, the floor scrubbing, pillow fluffing and bush trimming that she had done, washing the back of one girl, pompous or not, didn't seem like the end of the world. Wouldn't it be better to sell the remaining bits of her dignity while the Edelfelt girl was still buying? Or before she ran out of dignity to sell, for that matter.

”Forty percent raise.”

”Twenty.”

”Thirty.”

”Twenty.”

Rin let out a dejected sigh. Edelfelts never negotiated their demands. ”Fine. Turn around.”

What was the blonde girl's problem? Had she simply asked nicely on her knees, after apologizing for every insult, for every low blow, for ever being born, Rin might have maybe perhaps considered - just maybe - doing what was asked. But nothing was ever quite that simple with her. No matter what Luvia wanted from Rin, the request took the same form. She'd pay her a small fortune, mock her for taking the money, have her wear a frilly dress while doing it and then act like she didn't even care for it. If this was going to be anything like that shoe-fitting farce a week ago, she'd shove the sponge elbow-deep inside Luvia's asshole. But with the debt hanging over her head and Luvia offering the only reasonable possibility of ever paying it off, her options were few in number. At least, she wouldn't have to wear a frilly dress.

She sat herself behind her rival and soaked the sponge in a small bucket of warm water. ”Try to relax a bit.” She said, as much to Luvia as to herself. ”Makes it easier for me to get this done.”

”With you behind me? How naive do you think I am, Tohsaka Rin?”

”Then why do you even… why do you even bother with this?”

”Think of it as charity towards the poor.” Luvia glanced over her shoulder.

Again, Rin fought the desire to do unspeakable things with the sponge in her hand. ”A girl to scrub your back? Not meals for the poor?”

”I help the poorest among us.”

”Being awfully generous at it.”

”A lady does not pinch pennies.”

”I'll pinch something else if you don't shut up.”

Luvia flicked a bundle of her hair over her shoulder. The hair smacked on Rin's face with a wet thud. ”Do get on with it, servant.”

Rin scraped the hair from her face. The smug heiress sat in front of her, running her fingers through her golden and voluminous hair, humming some foreign tune. From behind, there were more than a dozen traditionally accepted forms of unarmed attack and a number of variations for each. That didn't include the non-standard, frowned upon forms Rin specialized in. However, Luviagelita Edelfelt wouldn't fall to just any cheap shot, as numerous painful memories testified. Not that her chances of success mattered that much. Somewhere in the depths of Rin's mind remained enough unsold dignity to stop her from charging her opponent butt naked with a bathsponge in hand, no matter how furious. That kind of shameless opportunism simply wasn't suitable for being written down in the family chronicles, whatever the outcome.

Rin moved slowly to touch Luvia's back with her sponge. The Edelfelt girl was tense, expecting a strike at any moment, and not without reason. Rin brushed her rival's back tenderly, avoiding any sudden movements that might trigger a flurry of punches. She worked carefully, intensely focused, slowly allowing herself to relax as the blonde in front of her finally became convinced that she wasn't going to charge at the first possible opportunity. Luvia let out a long, dreamy sigh. Both girls knew what that meant. There would be no violence this time.

The blonde fiddled with her hair, running the long strands between her fingers and twirling them into ringlets around her fingers. The Finn was slightly stockier in build than Rin was, looking almost bulky in comparison to the slim build of the Japanese girl. Luvia's skin glistened with warm water and bubbly soap. Weeks under the intense sun had tanned the skin slightly, ruining the pale complexion that had become so familiar to Rin during their shared years in the Clock Tower. Under the lights of the bath Luvia's skin now had an energetic glow that now shone bright and lively. Why was it that only foreign girls were blessed with such luscious skin? Beneath that inviting softness hid immense strength, something Rin had found out the hard way.

Years of martial arts training had taught Rin an immense amount about the human body. She read the muscles of Luvia's back like the lines of a palm. The combination of intense physical ecercise and days spent hunched over books had left marks all too easy to find. She'd give the snooty brat her money's worth, even if there was only so much she could do with warm water and a sponge. Tense, overperforming types like Luvia were always tense, she knew. A Chinese girl she had once shared a room with in the Clocktower had taught her just how easily that tenseness could be released. The blonde had plenty in plain sight.

The Finn purred the notes of the tune, thoroughly satisfied wth the way her idea had turned out. Tohsaka Rin was not at all bad at this sort of task. With the brutish way she behaved, how could Luvia have known that her rival possessed a knack for this kind of service? Her next idea would have to make up for all those lost opportunities. Imagining the look on Rin's face, Luvia knew that it would.

Behind, Rin set an empty bucket down, grabbed the tap and twisted it to the coldest possible position. Frigid water swirled down and settled to the bottom. With the tip of her finger Rin tested it and winced as the chill bit through her finger. She shook her head to clear the the shock from her face just in time as the blonde glanced at Rin.

”Oh. You're done?”

”Yep.” Rin smiled like an innocent child.

”I've got something else for you to do.”

Rin shunted the tap shut and picked up the bucket of water. ”Can it wait after this, princess?”

”Wait after what?”

People facing mortal danger are said to see their life flash before their eyes. Luviagelita Edelfelt saw a naked girl holding a bucket. The expression on her face ran the gamut from calm to confusion and finally abject terror.

”AAAAaaaaAEEAEAhh!!!” The chill bit all the way to the bone in every crease of her body.

Rin tossed the bucket aside. ”Hahahahaha! What do you think of that, you blonde bimbo? Hahaha!” She doubled over, barely able to stand as the mirthful laughter echoed off the walls. She wiped the tears from her closed eyes. Wait, was that the surface of the water coming up at her? Or down? What the-

The warm water slowed her down, but not enough to prevent her from crashing her head against the bottom. She was upside down or inside out or something, it was impossible to tell after the fall. The desperate need for air burned her lungs and her twitching limbs broke something that had to be the surface. She twisted about and pushed herself to the surface, coughing and gasping for hair. Water sloshed about on her right. Wiping the water from her eyes she saw something approach – the form of a blonde woman marching toward her, beautiful and naked as Venus emerging from the waves, furious as a siren.

Rin brought up her arms to defend herself. ”H-hey, dont take it too seriously, I just-”

Luvia smashed Rin's left cheek with an open palm. Rin fell, hard. The wonderful heat of the bath took off the worst shock of the fall and she decided not to go back up to the surface just yet, while the delightful bliss lasted. A monstrously powerful hand seized the hair on to the top of her head. Like to a criminal to the chopping block she was raised up in front of her rival. Rin's jaw hung agape as she tried to think of a suitable epitaph or death poem. Either would do, but she needed one quick.

The blonde stared deep into Rin's eyes, thinking if she should have the entire corpse or just the head stuffed and hung over the fireplace. Unable to decide, she let Rin fall. With a splash Rin disappeared below, face first, wondering if this was what it was like to be a submarine. With herculean effort she pulled herself together and broke the surface for a third time. This time, it was quiet. Luvia headed out of the bath, Rin's gaze trailing behind her she disappeared and slammed the door in her wake.

-

Luvia sipped the tea. Miyu had brewed it, not that other maid unfit to serve a family of swineherds let alone the Edelfelts. The Finn felt bad for robbing Miyu of time that she could have possibly spent with her friends. But, had Rin been the one one serving the tea, Luvia would have done her best to drown the other girl in the pot. Small as it was, she would have managed. Somehow. Maybe she should have just drowned Rin in the bath yesterday, even if finding a taxidermist for a skull that thick would be a very real difficulty. There would be some changes around the Edelfelt mansion. A restoration of discipline and proper respect, things which had not been taken seriously as of late. It would begin with a certain maid and it would begin soon.

She set the teacup down with a smile. The young girl waited on her, dutiful as ever. Too much so.

”That will be all, Miyu. Go visit Ilya.”

”Are you sure? I could still find something to do.”

”That's an order, Miyu.”

The younger girl bowed and headed off. Luvia drew a long, peaceful breath and watched Miyu go. Left alone, she listened for the sounds of what was about to happen.

-

Rin smelled a trap. Not the kind that wore a frilly dress like she did, but the kind that left behind a bloody mess of entrails and gore. She had her reasons for worrying. She was in the inner sanctum of the Edelfelt household, one of two places into which she never received access. The master bedroom. The other was the main jewelry vault. She had never seen the one in the first house before the detonation of the entire armory had leveled most of the building. Luvia had made it out of that explosion, having set the entire goddamn bomb off herself. The room was imposing, even for something that was hidden deep within the confines of the house. That the main foyer be as awe-inspiring as possible for visitors made sense, but even the bedroom shocked Rin. That was just the thing about old money – it didn't care for being seen. A massive bed, fit for a king, queen, and half a dozen concubines. Stained glass windows depicted scenes that Rin didn't recognize but which she assumed were either moments from the family's history or tales of Finnish mythology. A single workdesk, deceptively simple in appearance and a small nightstand sat on the other side of the room by the bed. Bookshelves filled with esoteric tomes and massive closets full of clothing, at least some of which were certain to hide secret passageways, lined the walls.

The blonde had not sought revenge for what had happened yesterday. Yet. She'd only handed Rin a duster and told her to ”take care of” the master bedroom. Rin trembled. Her womanly intuition told her that the room held enough magical traps for a small army of experts to shift through. She had been set upon all of this with a single feather duster. Without a doubt, Rin would have felt more confident had she been set up to kill a raging bull with a salad fork, but she wouldn't be going out. There was no way in hell she'd go face the smug heiress and tell her how she'd chickened out.

Rin took her first, tentative steps forward into the room. What the hell did blondie want this time? After weeks of more and more specific and depraved requests, Rin truly had no idea what to do. Fluff a few pillows? See if the bed was soft enough for her highness? Contemplate why pissing off an Edelfelt was a bad idea? Rin scanned the room for things to clean. This time there was no pile of dirty laundry or the like to shift through. Some dusting here, some tomes out of order there. She fluffed the pillows and made the bedclothes, just to be sure. Only a single thing stood out and that was the necklace left out on the nightstand. A small stool and a mirror, not unlike hers. She poked the necklace gingerly with her duster. Rin breathed a sigh of relief, happy that a trap hadn't gone off in her face. She sat herself down by the nightstand and lifted the chain up to her neck. The links had the shape of birch leaves dancing on the breeze. Rin tenderly brushed their surface with her finger. It wasn't just beautiful. The leaves were each so shaped that a single jewel could be slipped in place and retrieved. In essence, it was a bandolier for ammunition charges – jewels. Unending riches, carried in plain sight, yet designed for violence. As befitted the Edelfelts. She set it down with care and erased the very thought of ever having such a thing from her mind.

There was nothing else to do. She'd ask the blonde directly this time. She scanned the room one more time for anything out of place. She headed out and grabbed the door, glancing behind her. Leaving that necklace out there like that really didn't look tidy at all. She went back took a longing gaze at the chain and grabbed the lid of the jewelry box.

Comets flew across the gleaming night sky. The sun shone bright and warm on her face as she laid in the summer meadow. Birds chirped in the trees of the deep forest and off in the distance she heard an echo. Ooohohoho…

-

Luvia slapped Rin's face callously. The maid groaned and grumbled, her eyes still closed. The blonde grabbed Rin's face and shook her eyes open.

”You liked the necklace?” The blonde leaned over and lifted the necklace with her hand, giving Rin quite the view.

Rin looked away, but the red on her cheeks gave her away.

”Hah! I knew your materialistic nature would doom you.”

”I was trying to put it back.” Rin said.

”How kind of you. I could have you ruined for trying to steal from me.”

Terror washed over Rin and drained the bright color from her face. ”No, I wasn't trying to-”

The blonde sat beside Rin, brushing up against her hips gingerly. ”I'll settle for giving you a pay cut.”

”Twenty percent raise, blondie. You promised me!”

”Before that vulgar display of yours.”

”Cut it! You owe me, goldilocks!”

”You'll get five percent...” The blonde leaned over, her face close to Rin. ”…and a single banana, if you ask nicely.”

Rin tore at the restraints with all the fury of a woman scorned. Luvia lifted her head up slightly as Rin's jaws closed up on thin air.

”Tch. As brutish as ever.”

Luvia twirled the duster between her fingers. The furious look on Rin's face was worth all the effort that it took to set up the trap. Her captive calmed down, saving her strength for another attempt. Luvia smiled, seeing the hints of anxiety on Rin's face.

”What are you going to do with that?” Rin said.

”This?” Luvia flicked the duster in her hand. ”Absolutely nothing.”

The blonde stood up from the bed and leaned over the nightdesk by the bed. ”My family isn't famous for magecraft alone.” She slid one of the mirror panes on of the workdesk to she side, revealing a small locker behind. Her finger glowed as she tapped the wooden surface. The door swung open. ”We also made a name for ourselves as painters.”

Rin tried to reach over to see what the blond was doing. ”You won an art contest in grade school?”

”Hmph.” Luvia turned, holding a small paintbrush in her hand.

Luvia sat back down on the bed. She inched herself closer to Rin's feet and dropped the brush on the bed. She placed her fingers on Rin's ankle and slid her fingers slowly upwards on Rin's leg.

”Hey, what are you-” Rin stammered.

Luvia's hands slipped underneath Rin's dress. Rin tensed heavily as the hand unexpectedly stopped just below her knee. Luvia's fingers grabbed the top of the sock and pulled it all the down to the bound ankle. Luvia wrapped her arm around Rin's leg and locked it against her body tight. With her other hand she unbound the knot keeping Rin's leg in place. The maid felt the pressure on her ankle loosen and worked like mad to escape. Luvia gripped the leg as if subduing a raging crocodile.

”Let me go! Let me go you blonde cow!”

Luvia giggled. Perfect. She hadn't even gotten started yet. Rin's struggling became weaker and weaker as she exhausted herself.

Luvia smiled as Rin finally surrendered to the inevitable. ”I believe you said something about a raise.”

”Youh…” Rin panted heavily. ”You promised me twenty percent.”

”We can still negotiate.”

”No way in heAAAahahahaaaaahh!!!”

Something tingled against sole of her foot. Luvia held on tight with her arms as she prodded the sole of Rin's foot with the brush.

”No?” Luvia traced a line from the tip of the toe all the way to the back of the heel.

”AaaAa…. Aaahhahah! F-fuck… you...”

Luvia laughed blissfully. It was almost too cruel. Almost. ”Now… What was that pay cut you suggested?”

Rin gritted her teeth and groaned.

”40 percent cut?” Luvia asked, drawing a large circle on Rin's sole.

”Nnnhaaahaaaah!”

Luvia grabbed the foot in her hand and probed the folds of Rin's toes.

”Aaahah, I'll AAAAaHhaha...”

Almost. Luvia was impressed by Rin's continued resistance. Not that she'd ever admit it. Would the single brush be enough? She'd need a new way to tie up the girl if the sole of a single foot wouldn't suffice. There were ways to make that work, if her next assault wouldn't break her patient. Without the slightest doubt that it would, Luvia put her skills as a torturer to the test.

Rin lost her strength. The laughter convulsed her with no regard to how she'd feel about it. She'd swum against the current so hard that the effort had tired her mind. She let it take her and finally went along with it as the utter stupidity of the situation opened up to her. She roared, twitching hard against the restraints, feeling that lovely wave of warmth that seemed to take away the pressure she felt from her binds. The laughter went on and on.

Luvia stared into Rin's glazed eyes. She had let go minutes before but the Tohsaka heir kept chuckling by herself. Oh, hell. Had she just broken her servant more than she was supposed to? Luvia waved her hand in front of Rin's dilated pupils and something clicked inside the tied up girl. Rin swallowed laborously and panted.

”Heyeeehheheheee..., Luvia… hehe… eheeeheheheeee...”

The blonde stared, utterly dumbstruck.

”I'll work for free, just as long as you promise to do that again.” Rin's head fell by the side, sound asleep.

Luvia didn't say a word. She unbound the restraints on the girl and with considerable effort, threw the girl over her shoulder. She struggled up from the bed and headed to the door.

”Auguste!”

The door opened as if the servant had been waiting outside the entire time.

”Yes, Milady?”

”Have her put to bed for the night. As is.”

”Did she sustain injuries, Milady?” Auguste picked up Rin from Luvia's shoulder.

Luvia shook her head. ”I'm not at all certain.”

-

Rin woke up in her own bed, groggy and thirsty as if hung over.

”Water?” A gloved hand brought a glass of water in front of her face.

Rin trashed about in shock. ”What the… How long have you been there?”

”Water?”

Rin stared at the blonde and decided against asking any premature questions. She took the glass and gulped it down in one go.

”What happened?” Rin asked. The memories of last night in her head were an untidy mess, mixed with the remnants of an intense dream that still swirled around her head like a haze. Something had happened when she set off that trap in the jewel box, but what? She remembered the wonderful feeling of lying down somewhere warm, and the song of a bird that sounded just like someone she knew. Luvia's gloating face above her, the unbreakable binds holding her down and a tidal wave that carried her off to the open sea. None of it made any sense, and that was before the bits she knew for certain to be creations of her own subconscious. Like that bit where Luvia tickled her feet with a paintbrush. That was a mental image she would be taking to the grave with her.

”Well, I'm not entirely sure. You, uh, had an unexpected... reaction to my attentions.”

”Wait, what?”

”You passed out.”

Had she really? The chain of events in her head was as messy and disheveled as she herself looked. The cause of it all sat on a stool next to her bed and Rin did the first thing she could think of. She slapped Luvia hard. The blonde didn't cry out. She turned back at Rin, a murderous glare in her eyes.

”I've had it with your crazy shit, blondie!”

”My crazy- You little runt, if you ever behaved I would-”

”Put another dress on me?”

”No, but-”

”What the hell is your problem?”

Luvia stewed. Her hands balled into fists as she stood up. ”You!”

”Yeah? And what are you going to do about it?”

”If you only weren't a Tohsaka, I would've-”

”Hah! Done what, blondie?” Rin crossed her arms and gleamed with smug self-satisfaction. As If there was a single thing in the world that the blonde hadn't already tried.

Luvia lunged and pushed Rin down on the bed. She grabbed Rin's face in her hands and pushed her lips down on Rin's. Rin groaned in disbelief. It all made sense now. The frilly dresses, the farce with the shoes, the way Luvia kissed her.

”Luvia, I-” She said as Luvia broke the kiss.

The blonde was in no mood to listen. She kissed Rin again, caressing her neck with the fingers of her hand. If there might've perhaps been hesitation in the first kiss, there was none at all in the second, as Luvia had her way with Rin's lips. Rin responded tenderly, lost in the wonderful softness of the blonde pressed up against her. There would be time to think about this later.

Luvia finally let go. ”That.” She said and looked into Rin's blue eyes.

”Huh?”

”Done that.”

”If I hadn't been-”

”Yes.” Luvia rested her head on Rin's flat chest. ”You owe me one.”

Rin gazed up at the roof, caressing the blonde's hair. Perhaps she indeed did.

-

Mimi didn't know how long she had been lost. She had followed Shirou and Issei from the yard to the passageways connecting the elementary and high school parts of Homuhara. She wasn't supposed to be there of course, which made her predicament that much worse. She'd given up hope on witnessing whatever it was that young and beautiful boys like Shirou and Issei did when they disappeared off somewhere. Now it all went to waste, even the notebooks she brought with her to better document those fleeting moments of beauty without giving inspiration a single change to whisk away.

A door crashed open behind her and Mimi jumped behind the corner. Two female voices bickered, but she couldnt make out any of the words. Peeking around the corner, she recognized the two girls. They were Ilya's friends, High School seniors, propably. Gold drills & Twintails, that's what they usually went by. Awfully temperamental, too. Mimi couldn't tell what it was that had the girls up in arms, but it seemed quite serious. Gold drills grabbed twintails by the collar with both hands and Mimi winced. Oh dear, this would be getting violent. She'd need to tell someone before the two girls would-

”Hnnnmmmggghhh!” Mimi threw both her hands over her mouth in a vain effort to stop herself from screaming. The blonde girl who had just grabbed the other by the collar was kissing her! And what a kiss it was! Kuro and Ilya could have learned a thing or three from this pair. How could she have ever missed this development? Mimi hid behind the corner again and tried to remember to breathe, her heart ready to burst from excitement. With trembling hands, she pulled out the special, high-quality notebooks from her schoolbag and began to scribble down the saga of two girls.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theirs is less a relationship than coexistence in varying states of hostility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've given up on this and then started again three times or so. If someone told me that they wanted to write a new chapter for a oneshot that is half a year old, I'd tell them not to. I hope you don't hate me for having done so, but I need to get this out of the way so I can focus on other things. If I get a good idea for a third chapter, I might still write one. I'm also looking for a beta reader for more of my trash.

The novel slid off Rin's chest and fell on the garden chair, tumbling around as it fell down to the ground. She paid no mind to it and continued with her afternoon nap.

It was only now, when the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted Rin's afternoon nap in the garden, that she understood just how much she had dreaded hearing that sound in days past. She knew the sound by heart – the most expensive of shoes do make a slightly different sound against the paved tiles of the garden. Hearing those soft taps against the stone excited her enough to make her shiver in the warm afternoon.

The sounds were close now, brushing against the trimmed grass. The warmth disappeared from Rin's face as the sun was hidden behind a curtain of golden hair. Rin groaned, stretched out her arms and pretended to wake from a deep slumber. Her eyes fluttered open and met's Luvia's gaze.

”What?” She asked.

”Enjoying the sun?”

”I was until you stepped in front of it.”

Luvia giggled faintly and stepped out of the way, leaning towards Rin. ”You must have been a cat in a previous life, Tohsaka Rin.”

Rin smiled and pushed the back of her head into the chair, stretching the muscles of her back. ”How'd you figure that out?”

”Well, to begin with...” Luvia looked off to the distance, putting an expression of deep contemplation on her face. ”You eat my food, you wear out my beds and chairs, and you never do anything of use.”

”Hey!” Rin feigned insult. ”Don't act like I'm not worth it.”

”Never.” Luvia brushed the bangs of Rin's hair away and planted a light kiss on her forehead. She hovered above the Japanese girl and Rin reached her arm out, pulling Luvia's into a proper kiss.

Rin knew better than let herself get lost in the feeling of those soft lips. Yet when the moment came that Luvia drew back from her, she felt a pang of anguish for letting her go. Even with the truce they had agreed upon, Luvia still knew how to torment her.

”Don't do that.” Rin whined and lifted herself to a sitting position. She ran her hands through her hair to fix the mess that her nap had made.

”What?” Luvia asked and sat herself beside Rin.

”Tease me like that.”

”Have I ever?” The blonde rested her hand on Rin's shoulder and leaned against her.

You're doing it right now, Rin wanted to say. It felt almost uncanny to be touched by her. Luvia's touch on her shoulder was light and delicate, but Rin felt like she'd been furiously glomped and smothered by her. The tender affection of the hand on her shoulder was completely at odds at everything Rin had, in years past, thought to know of Luvia. She knew Luvia bore dear feelings for Miyu and would show much concern for that young girl of whom they truly didn't know a thing about. It might've been easier to make sense of if Luvia didn't insist on squeezing her chest against Rin's arm.

”Do you really have to do that?” Rin asked.

”What?”

Rin flicked her gaze downwards.

”Oh! I had no idea you might be bothered, Tohsaka Rin.”

Was it the cycle of the moon? The planets aligning? Rin didn't know what it was that set off the switch in Luvia's head that turned the blonde into a relentless and irritating tease. She would get under Rin's skin and before long Rin took her vengeance. Sparks and objects both large and small would fly. Until lately, that is. Lately things ended in a different manner that made Rin feel a flush of heat as she thought of it.

Luvia spotted the faint blush without error. ”My my, Tohsaka Rin, were you having such sweet dreams before I came along to interrupt?”

”You didn't interrupt anything.” Rin turned her back to the blonde.

”Really?” Luvia slowly wrapped her arms around Rin's back and snuggled against her back. ”Then we will make sure that the next one who comes along will.”

Rin felt happy Luvia couldn't see the shade of deep crimson on her face. She swallowed heavily and gathered her thoughts – the ones that hadn't taken the obvious route of Luvia's suggestion. ”I wasn't dreaming. I was thinking of… of how things've changed.”

”It is wonderful, is it not?” Luvia sighed, humming to herself. ”Now that you have expressed loyalty to my family, we can put this awful business behind ourselves and-”

”Wait. Now that I've what? When did I...”

”Didn't you yesterday?” Luvia wrapped her arms around Rin's waist. “When you said-”

“No, I didn't mean it that way!” Rin flinched with a burning feeling of shame thinking of her overly affectionate words from the day before.

“What part of Luvia', I'm-”

“Don't just say it like that! I didn't mean it that way.” Rin wanted to disappear into a crevice in the earth. She laid her hands on Luvia's and shifted them slightly upwards on her waist. ”You didn't give me much choice.”

”Nor do I intend to.” Luvia moved her hand just below Rin's navel, drawing tiny circles with the tips of her fingers. ”Think about it, Tohsaka Rin. You can end this feud. Think about all the wonderful things we could do together.”

Rin pouted. Saying no wasn't an option, but she couldn't quite say yes either. It would have been better to stay there, cuddled in Luvia's lap without a single worry in her mind. The burning flush was fading from her face and she tasted the faintest bit of Luvia's taste on her lips. She tried to focus on that memory, but the implication of Luvia's words felt like bile being poured into her mouth. ”I want to, Luvia, but I can't. I can't make that decision for my family.”

“You can. You are the head of the Tohsaka family. Do not think that I have forgotten.”

The tender arms on her waist held Rin down. Could she really do it? Could she wash away decades of bad blood? Rin lifted herself up and turned to face Luvia. She put a hand on the blonde's shoulder and brought her face close. ”I'll do it on one condition.”

Luvia cocked an eyebrow. ”What would that be?”

”Kiss my ass.”

A cold chill blew through the garden and marked the silence with the sound of rustling leaves. Rin watched Luvia's hair sway in front of her unmoving face. No, she'd not meant it quite that way, it had slipped. Hell, this was real slip-up. Rin felt her stomach twist as she waited for Luvia to finally reply in the way she always would.

Luvia let out a sigh of deep disappointment and looked away to the side.

Rin felt the physical sensation of both their mood sinking like a brick. That deep sigh hurt her more than the punch she had expected to receive. Rin let the silence last and observed Luvia's expression carefully. The look of honest disappointment and near melancholy gave her an intense pang of guilt.

Hey…” She took a more reconcilatory tone. ”Is this really that important to you?”

”Yes.”

”I can't do it.”

”Of course you could,” Luvia said, now sounding more lively and vigorous. ”It is your petty jealousy that keeps you from doing so!”

”Jealousy? Like I'd ever have a reason to be jealous of you.” Rin smirked, feeling happy to at the very least be bickering with the blonde as usual instead of having to deal with the guilt of having hurt someone she cared for. The thought puzzled Rin - did she really care?

Luvia squinted her eyes and turned her back to Rin. ”You cannot do it? Truly? The honor of your meaningless family is worth turning away me, a noble Lady whose family has 700 years of history behind her?”

”700 years and all it got for you was a bunch of back pain.” She poked Luvia between the shoulderblades.

”Nobility must always suffer the jealousy and misunderstanding of inferiors.” Luvia recited a passage from her memory, rubbing her left shoulder.

Rin grumbled quietly, disappointed that the blonde had switched from her fun-to-tease and agreeable manner to reciting long history of the Edelfelt family. ”I'm not jealous.”

”Is that so? Not that you could know what it means to be the head of a noble family of magi. And… it is not the object of your jealousy that causes me stiffness of the upper back.”

”I'm not jealous!”

”Is that so? Then I shall leave you alone with your contentedness.” Luvia stood up in a brisk move that made her golden hair sway as if gripped by the wind. She turned her head sharply towards Rin and looked down her nose at her. ”I will admit, I am jealous of you - Jealous of the way how you can always ruin my happiness!”

Rin knew Luvia was correct, and that kept her from retorting. She'd honed her skills over the years. By accident and some peculiar chance they had both found amusement and more in their constant bickering, but now, both those things felt distant indeed. Rin bowed her head and turned away, unable to look. She was left alone in the garden. The sight of the open novel looked like crude mockery.

-

Rin muttered to herself eating breakfast in her own room. Thanks to the rather generous amenities of the Edelfelt household, she had her breakfest just the way she liked it. Sadly, it made no difference to her morning appetite. Had it been served at a more humane hour, she might've appreciated the effort that had clearly gone into preparing the fine dishes. Having to eat it so soon after waking up – Rin could never get up quite as early as she needed or wanted to – she felt that she might as well have been chewing on pieces of cardboard. The tea, however, tasted divine and invigorated her like nothing else could.

On most days she ate breakfast together with Luvia, but after the episode yesterday, she preferred having time to think in the morning. She had spent much yesterday evening thinking, and by the time morning came, she hadn't found much of a solution. She only knew for sure that she didn't want to sit down at the breakfast table with her… employer? Companion? Friend? Sworn enemy of her family? Rin hadn't thought much at all of the last bit for the last week, not until yesterday had so rudely reminded her of it.

She'd ruined that precarious illusion of being at peace with Luvia without even noticing it. Now she felt she was back to the everyday war they'd always fought, out of reasons sometimes difficult to understand. Luvia would be back on the offensive before Rin knew it, and she worried at the thought of how the blonde would inevitably find some new way to amuse herself at Rin's expense, now that the truce was over.

There was a knock on the door, as if on cue, startling Rin. ”Yes?” She asked.

”May I come in? There is something I need you help with.”

She laid her hands on the edge of the table for support, stood up and cleared her voice. ”Yes. Sure, come on in.”

The door opened and Luvia stepped in. ”Thank you. I hoped not to bother you this early in the morning, knowing the way how you feel this hour of the day.”

Rin lost control of the muscles of her face. This time it wasn't because of the time of the day. Luvia had dressed herself in the Homuhara high school uniform, the same one that Rin was wearing. Or rather, she was in the process of getting dressed. Sure, not much was missing, but that was all the more shocking for Rin. Two buttons were left open and the uniform opened just enough to give Rin a view of the curve of Luvia's bust and the brassiere covering it, but not a single bit more.

The trembling of Rin's jaw got even worse. ”W-what the... put your clothes on you shameless cow!”

”That is what I need your help with,” Luvia said, her expression unfazed by Rin's outburst. ”The buttons are horribly tight to manage by myself.”

Luvia's act didn't convince Rin for one moment. She grit her teeth and glanced away, tearing her gaze away from the provocative, carefully constructed display of Luvia's unbuttoned uniform. ”You really had to come to me for help?”

”Miyu is over at Ilya's today. She will be heading to school with her friends. I felt that you could assist me.”

Rin could see the bait being dangled in front of her face. She would swallow the hook, the line and the sinker if it meant a chance to get back at Luvia for trying this moronic stunt – at this inhumane time of the day, no less. ”I see,” she said, putting on her most pleasant voice.

”Wonderful. Now, if you would please...” Luvia stepped closer to Rin.

Rin fought back the desire to flinch and put on the widest smile on her face that she could. Her fingers betrayed her state of nervousness as she reached out for the open buttons on Luvia's chest. The blonde pushed out her chest in a mocking manner and Rin held her breath for a short moment, ogling the newly revealed bit of skin.

Her hands shivered as she took the upper button between her fingers and strained to push it into it's hole. She kept her gaze fixated down below, determined not to endure Luvia's smug expression, even if that meant having to rest her eyes on an entirely obvious spot.

A single blue line coursed across the skin like a vein on marble.

”Do take care, Tohsaka Rin,” Luvia said as Rin managed to slip the button to its place.” I imagine you do not have much experience with clothes designed for a woman.”

”Well, I don't have much experience dressing cows either.”

”You would know how to dress a monkey, though.”

”Or a blonde bimbo with a bust size higher than her IQ.” Rin grabbed the lower button and yanked on it. In Luvia's case, that earlier number was high enough to almost make Rin's quip lose much of its effect. Her fingers no longer trembled and she pulled hard on both sides of the uniform to finally be done with her moronic but not entirely unpleasant task. She looked up at Luvia's face and raised an eyebrow. ”Are you too poor to have fitting clothes, now?”

”Ah, that would explain it. I may have put on my old uniform by mistake. It no longer fits me.” Luvia brushed a tiny bit of dust away from her chest. ”Not that a malnourished washboard like you could possibly-”

Luvia didn't have time to finish her insult. Rin made sure of that, though not of any particular conscious effort, with rage having short-circuited her brain. First there was a flash of magic, a ripping sound and a bunch of shirt buttons flying in every direction. Then there was Luviagelita Edelfelt, standing with the upper part of her uniform torn in two.

Rin's arms trembled with rage as she held pieces of the torn uniform in her hands. ”Out!” She shouted.

”You plebbish oaf, was that truly necessary?”

”Out! Get out before I-, OUT!”

Luvia closed the door behind her just in time to block the rice bowl from crashing against her face. She giggled the entire way to back to her room.

-

As the day went on, Luvia could see the spark of rage smoulder inside Rin. The choice to ambush her this morning had been a clear and calculated one, desgined to put Rin out of balance for the duration of the day spent at Homuhara and the short working shift afterwards. Rin worked far fewer shifts than she had before their previous incident, the one that had made it impossible for Luvia to deny the reasons why she liked to have Rin at her beck and call.

Rival families had – out of the jealousy they felt, Luvia knew – taken upon themselves to begin calling the Edelfelts a bunch of hyenas. Not entirely without reason, Luvia had to admit. Her family had an instinct for sniffing out disputes they themselves had no claim in and making off with the prime cuts of whichever family inheritance was being carved up. But hyenas? That word did no justice to the prestige of the family. 'Huntress' was more to her liking. Though neither term was without merit, their meanings had one thing in common: the ability to see an opportunity.

A perfect opportunity now presented itself. Or herself, To be precise. Rin wiped the stands for the many porcelain vases on display.

“Servant,” Luvia said.

“I have a name, Milady.” Rin kept scrubbing, paying no mind to Luvia.

“I need you to accompany me downtown tomorrow.”

“Huh? What for?”

“Does it matter?”

“I supppose not. I don't think I could sleep if I knew what you were planning in that twisted mind of yours.” Rin smashed the mop on the floor, splashing water about. She pictured Luvia's face onto the tiles and scrubbed back and forth, allowing herself a faint smile.

“You will aid me with some shopping that needs to be done.”

“Itching for a chance to show off your money?”

“Not at all. You could do with some fresh air yourself.”

“Tch. Is that all? Your highness' floors won't clean themselves.”

“There is something else.” Luvia took a step towards the vases. “I need you to move one of the vases to a new stand.”

“If you think I'll spend the rest of today moving these back and forth for you, forget it.”

“Only this particular one.” Luvia folded her arms and ran a finger along her chin. “The one with the azure flower pattern. It'll look much better below that window there.” She pointed her finger towards the far window.

“This one?”

“Yes.”

Rin set aside her rags and crouched by the vase. She yanked the vase up with an audible huff and wrapped both her arms around it. The weight had her leaning backwards. She took a few careful steps towards the stand Luvia had gestured at. “Over there? Luvia?” She glanced where the blonde had just been. “Where'd you go?”

“Over here.” Luvia said from just behind her.

“Where do you want this again? Help me, this thing is heavy as aaaAAAhh!”

Luvia knelt behind rin, lifted the hem of her dress and disappeared underneath it.

“Stop screwing around! You can't just-”

Luvia's fingers slipped inside the band of Rin's panties and slid them downwards slow enough to let Rin experience every moment of the embarassing sensation. She grasped at the blonde's hands through her skirt, but as she let go of the vase she felt her hold of it slipping. Stumbling forwards, she caught it just in time as the hands on her hips stopped her from falling over.

“Clumsy as ever.”

“I'll kill you for this you-” Rin felt a strange sensation on her exposed cheek. “Did you just...”

Luvia emerged from underneath Rin's dress.“Was that not a condition of yours?”

Not the best of magical pedigree, Luvia thought, but Tohsaka Rin could certainly blush a very healthy shade of red. Not leaving Rin enough time to realize just how deep a pit she had dug herself into, Luvia turned her back to stride away. This time, she couldn't quite laugh, despite the mirthful feeling that seemed to permeate every part of her being. It was dangerous enough to turn her back to Tohsaka Rin, especially after leaving her with a suitably heavy object to throw. Luvia put her trust in Rin's knowledge of the expense of that vase, and with a nervous gait, finally rounded behind the corner to allow herself a moment to breathe.

It had been quite the amusing day. Tomorrow would be even better.

-

The sound of the limousine door closing behind her was the moment at which Luvia realized how she'd made a terrible, mistake.

She'd thought of taking Rin out the town for several days now, of teasing the adorable girl until she finally lost her composure and admitted how Luvia and only Luvia could make her feel. She'd thought of a conquest, a carefully executed plan that would go as perfect as it did in the novels she read. She hadn't thought of a nervous date that would make her tremble with excitement.

There had always been an excuse. Something they needed to do together, something that they could excuse their time spent together on, but now, Luvia felt that the obvious conclusion hung up in the air, plain for both of them to see, impossible for either to admit.

There was a spring to Luvia's step and it wasn't the kind given by a heart ready to burst with excited happiness – no, it was more nervous, almost uncomfortable, like she'd had a few too many cups of coffee. Her thoughts were bouncing about inside her head frantically enough for that to be the case.

”Uh, Luvia?”

”Yes?” She stopped still and turn in a flash, so quick that Rin could see the nervousness in her despite the smile and calm voice.

”We've been walking around for a while now. I thought you needed my help with shopping.”

”I do. Please, follow me.”

Luvia lead them back around, taking a scenic detour through the shopping district and bringing them back to the beginning of a street they had walked through a short while ago.

Rin didn't understand why Luvia had any reason to be so nervous enough to walk past her original destination, not when the blonde was about to put on another show of humiliation for Rin. Soon Luvia would be showing off her wealth and sophistication by picking out one beautiful outfit after the another and dangling the opportunity of having those things in front of her nose until Rin would inevitably snap. It didn't suprise her at all when Luvia lead her to a very upscale shop, the kind where they didn't even list prices on the clothing.

A saleslady greeted them, asking a few short questions that Luvia replied with a single wave of a plastic card. The sight of the logo on that card sent the poor woman into a fit of stuttering from which Luvia ever so courteously excused her.

”Understood, Miss. Do you require assitance of any kind?”

”Not at all.” Luvia shook her head courteously. Then she had an idea. ”Actually, we are shopping for her.”

Rin looked like she'd heard a branch snap behind her. ”Ah, well, that's…” She fumbled for words desperately, but panic set in as she saw the beaming smiles on both Luvia and the saleslady. ”That's the case, yes. Ahahaha...” She laughed nervously to relieve the shock of the situation from herself.

They turned their backs to the saleslady and walked further into the store. As soon as she was out of earshot, Rin grumbled an angry curse at Luvia, barely parting her lips and keeping the mask of a happy smile on her face. ”I'll pay you back for this stunt. I've had enough of you playing dress up with me.”

”Really? Had I picked any of your outfits, you would not be walking about looking like that.”

”You've got the fashion sense of a mud farmer.”

”I pay for this, hmm? Indulge me for once, Tohsaka Rin.”

Rin suppressed the desire to throw a kick and dirty punch to the kidneys and settled for poking Luvia in the side. ”Fine,” she said, ”but I'll do the choosing and you'll shut up.” She knew better than to turn down an offer like Luvia's. It was worth bearing a few quips about her supposedly materialistic nature. Only the fact that Luvia knew which string to pull made her feel a bit of discomfort.

”Whatever you wish, Miss Tohsaka. Anything you like. I really should not have to trick a girl like you into this.”

Rin remained quiet at Luvia's implication. She was right, and Rin didn't want to do any more than remain quiet to admit that. She should've jumped at the opportunity and made sure to rack up a bill large enough to give even Luvia pause – if that were even possible. Having that debt hang over her, combined with the constant hurry of juggling for both their cover role at Homuhara and the quest for cards had kept Rin too busy to have much of a look at her wardrobe as of late. Sure, Luvia had her clothes made for her, and that option would surely have been readily available for Rin as well, but her stubborn and childish pride had stopped her from doing that. Maybe this trip would change that.

She took to picking out a new top for herself. To go with the top, she'd need a new skirt as well, and a new skirt meant new shoes, which of course needed new socks. Rin felt eased into her task comfortably and as she took to picking that new skirt for herself, she forgot her earlier demand to Luvia.

She held two pairs of socks up in front of her, trying to see which ones would go better with the new skirt. She turned to Luvia for advice, but at the alst moment she remembered her earlier promise. Luvia seemed to remember it as well, until after a short moment of staring at each other, Luvia shifted her eyes quickly to the left pair and back again.

There was a quiet agreement after that one, with no words at all said. Rin tried the top and skirt on and after a short approving look from Luvia that made her feel like she'd been swallowed whole by the warmth in the blonde's eyes, Rin had a new outfit for herself picked out. Luvia picked out a second top to her, still under the reign of a nervous shared silence and Rin knew she would soon have a second and a third outfit chosen out as well. She was back to what she'd just sworn she wouldn't, but unlike ever before, she enjoyed every moment of the game of dress-up that she'd just cursed.

Trying the new clothes on, seeing the happy look on Luvia's face, feeling that same happiness inside herself, Rin began to understand why Luvia had brought her out for the day. That realization had her tingling from the soles of her feet to the tip of her head, and though she finally walked out of the store weighed down by a bunch of shopping bags filled with fancy clothing, she felt as if she were walking on clouds.

Feeling the fuzzy, soft feeling smother her, Rin fell back to the only way she know how to act around Luvia. She wanted to snap at Luvia about anything. Maybe there'd be something about Luvia's hair, about that beatiful dress, or an embarassing slip of the tongue she could bite into, but no, Luvia had made sure everything was perfect. Her courteous manner, the choice of a dress that had the perfect air of informality to it. Had it not been for the way how Rin could see Luvia shift her feet nervously on the seat beside her, she would have appeared almost too good to be true.

It was, in a sense. The heavy feeling of a foregone conclusion that neither was willing to admit hung heavily in the air. Both wanted to say something about it to lighten the mood. They sat in silence, close to each other, happy enough that the lull could last for now.

She tapped the bench with her hand, holding onto it for support, and squinted her eyes shut nervously to take that final plunge she couldn't avoid. She breathed in deep and tensed her for that moment she couldn't avoid. ”It's a date, isn't it?”

”I…” Luvia jolted with surprise. ”I think so, yes,” she said, sheepishly.

Rin felt she might float off the bench at any moment. Yes, it was obvious it was a date and admitting took a heavy weight off her shoulders, but her heart fluttered as she remembered that only couples went on dates and that couples would hold hands and kiss and… and…

”Rin?”

”W-what? Hiyah!” She yelped as she felt the deft touch on her hand. So soft, yet it felt like that the tiny hand holding hers was the only thing that kept her from falling over and fainting or difting away on the next light breeze. Oh, what a moment to be alive.

-

Ilya's pale face blushed red all the way to her ears as she flipped through the pages of the manga booklet.

“Just like I said, isn't it?” Kuro stretched herself out on the bed and threw her arms behind her head. “I told you there was something off with Mimi.”

“But… I'm not sure if this really is necessary...” Ilya whimpered. Miyu rested laid her hand over on Ilya's shoulder and peeked at the manga. “We really shouldn't be reading something like this.”

“Don't you see it?” Kuro asked.

“What?”

“Don't you see where Mimi might've gotten the ideas for her magnum opus?” Kuro sat up and moved her legs over the edge of the bed.

“No.” Ilya didn't lift her gaze from the manga.

“Here.” She snatched the volume from Ilya's hands.

“Hey!”

“I thought you weren't supposed to be reading it.” She winked.

“But I-”

“Does this remind you of anything?” She tapped her finger on a large half-page panel of one of the leads. Dark-haired, thinly built, handsome and very sparkly, with just a bit of temper to him.

“Not really…”

“How about this?” Kuro tapped her finger on the other half of the page. The male lead's foil. Blonde, muscular, handsome and very sparkly, with more than a dash of arrogance.

“N-no...”

“Not even this?” Kuro flipped through the pages of contant bickering that made up the earlier half of the story.

“Kuro, I don't mind if you want to read this stuff with us, but I don't understand what you mean.”

“Ilya, who lives across the street?” She tapped the page with her finger. “Who is always bickering with somebody like her?”

”You mean Luvia and Rin?!”

”Exactly. And, what's even worse… Miyu saw them around town together. She said they were… that they were...”

Illya looked at Kuro, feeling a sense of worry at the sudden blush that showed on the brown skin. ”What is it? They live together, so what's special about them being outside?”

”It's not that! Miyu said they were holding hands.”

”But if they're just holding hands then-”

”You don't just hold hands with someone, Ilya!" Kuro lowered her face and looked up at Ilya with a heavy gaze. "Something's up with those two. Something very serious. If Mimi finds out, I don't think we can save her."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go. It's shorter than the previous chapters, but I felt that unless I include a bunch of AAANGST and DRAMA, there's not a whole lot more to write about. So, I wrote a short and fluffy ending to tie things up. They deserve as much, right? And yes, it's the end. No continuation past this point. I'll begin a new fic fairly soon though.

The task of finding out what – if anything – had happened between Luvia and Rin fell upon Miyu. She lived, for all intents and purposes, as Luvia's adoptive little sister in the same household that her two quarries did, so it was only natural that her group of friends would pin the task on her. But, though Miyu had a keen eye and an inquisitive mind, she was far from the best choice for the matter. She simply wasn't quite as nosy and curious in the way that the task would've required her to be.

It didn't help that she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to look for. She didn't understand why her having seen Luvia and Rin out downtown had caused such an uproar with Illya and Kuro. Of course Mimi would be ecstatic, but you could give Mimi an article on plate tectonics and she would read it as an allegory for homosexual relationships between men. Maybe that was why they had tried to keep the news from Mimi.

Worst of all, Miyu knew better than to intrude upon Luvia. Her early childhood had taught her that snooping on family wasn't always the best idea. Not only that, but she also felt that whatever secret Luvia and Rin kept – if they actually did – she owed Luvia enough not to pry on it. After three days, she could only tell Kuro and Illya that the pair acted the way they always did. A little spat every now and then, peace and quiet whenever they had something to focus their attention together on.

-

”So you're sure you saw nothing out of the ordinary?” Illya asked.

”Yes. Perhaps they were fighting less often and spending a bit more time together, but I saw nothing else that would signify a change in their relationship,” Miyu said.

”Relationship?” Kuro let her voice rise as she spoke up. ”Not the word to use around Mimi.”

”When I asked Luvia about them spending more time together, she said that they always have been close to each other in the past, whether they liked it or not.”

”Aah, that's no good! Nothing short of them tearing each other to pieces would convince Mimi anymore.” Kuro crawled on the bed towards the window and sat down staring at the mansion across the street. ”Tatsuko let it slip yesterday and Mimi heard about the hand-holding from someone in class.”

”I-is it bad?” Illya asked.

Kuro sighed heavily and looked back over her shoulder. ”Suzuka went to see her and… twelve notebooks. No food, no sleep. She was only able to make Mimi talk to her when she tore the pencil from her hand. Poor girl fell asleep before she explained what her story is about.”

”We need to do something.”

”Suzuka tied her up as usual but… yes, we need to do something to convince her she is out of it. Miyu, are you sure there is nothing going on with the two?”

”Yes.”

”Absolutely?”

Miyu hesitated a bit before answering. ”Yes, but Luvia said they had booked a trip to an onsen for a few days.”

”Maybe they just finally decided to make peace. They went to an onsen before and acted as usual then.” Illya pointed her finger at Kuro. ”Unlike someone else!”

”Oh? How was it out of the ordinary?”

”Well...”

”Nevermind, Illya. I think we should follow them there.”

”What?!”

”If Miyu is sure, then it'll be the best way to convince Mimi nothing is going on, right?”

”I'm not so sure.”

”Me neither, but it can't be any worse than what Mimi has thought up by herself, right? If we leave her alone, she'll just get worse and worse. We need to bring her back to her senses. Showing her how nothing is happening is the best way to do that. Right Miyu?”

Miyu lifted her gaze from the manga booklet Kuro had given her before her espionage assignment. Flipping through the pages, she still couldn't say for sure whether anything was truly off like Kuro thought it was. She looked Illya in the eye, then Kuro, and finally nodded in agreement.

-

The class ran to its end and their fellow students poured out of the class. Rin had her materials in perfect order and spaced out for a short moment, staring off at the falling sun.

Luvia stepped by her desk, about the make a quip about Rin's thorough absentmindedness, but was instead distracted by a volume of manga left on the desk next to Rin's.

”A special guest submission?” Luvia flipped through the pages. ”Oh my. Oh my oh my...”

”What?” Rin shookherself awake from her trance. “Oh, what's that?”

”It is quite… risque. Far more so than the cover would suggest.” Luvia dropped the book on the table and slid it across to Rin.

Rin picked up the book and inspected the cover. ”Ah... BL.”

”You're familiar with this kind of entertainment?”

”Not really. It's everywhere though. Didn't you ever run into these in the Clocktower?”

”Never.”

”Odd. Did you spend your years growing up under a rock?”

“Hardly.”

“My roommate had loads and loads of these but I never got into them.” Rin flipped through the pages. ”You got one thing right. They look perfectly innocent on the outside, but they're full of filth on the inside.”

”Just like someone I know.”

”Hey! Take that back!”

”I never said you were. Just certain somebody who I know.”

”But you… ugh.”

”Shall we get going? I have an idea you will like.”

Blood coursed to Rin's cheeks. Luvia's ideas weren't particularly difficult to predict. ”Fine. Let's go.” She slipped the book into her bag. It was better to hold onto it and return it to whoever had lost it tomorrow.

-

Tucked away in the back of a limousine, Rin relaxed her head in another girl's lap with a volume of manga in her hands. That other girl – formerly a sworn enemy, now more of a girlfriend – brushed Rin's hair carefully as the twintailed girl laid in her lap.

Rin flipped through the pages with great care. The cover truly was far, far too innocuous for such a filthy piece of work. Most of the volume was standard fare that didn't pass for anything but a way to pass the time, but the guest submission paraded on the cover truly tugged at her heartstrings. It was a magnificient story, drawn with inspiration and beauty that was completely at odds with the shamelessly smutty nature of the later pages of it. A story of a tall, handsome bishonen – sparkle included – and his foreign foil. Any sort of resolution between the two seemed impossible until all was resolved with a passionate kiss in an unoccupied hallway and unmentionable acts in an empty classroom afterwards. It was impossible to not be swept away by the emotional whirlwind of it. It all reminded Rin of something very familiar that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Having spent the much of the trip in a happy silence, Luvia gazed out limousine window and saw the final group of forested peaks that marked the last turn towards their destination.

Laying her fingers on the side of Rin's neck, Luvia finally spoke up. ”Miyu asked me why were going away together.”

Rin groaned just a bit as the words disturbed her complete immersion into the story. ”Did you tell her?”

”I will, in time. For now, I only told her that we both deserve a few days of peace and quiet.”

”Hmm, that we do.”

Rolling on to the their destination, a secluded onsen, the vehicle finally came to a halt. Auguste broke out the two coffers from the back of the limousine and set them down. Rin took both and carried them with her, following Luvia towards the entrance to the bath. Halfway towards the inside, Rin stopped as if bumping into a wall.

”Hey, Luvia?”

”Yes?”

”Didn't you say I'd be off the clock when we're here?”

”Certainly.”

”Then why am I carrying your luggage?”

”Would you be so kind?” Luvia flashed Rin a puppy-eyed smile – complete with fluttering eyelids – before turning her back and striding onwards. Luvia glanced once over the back of her shoulder when Rin took the coffers in hand again. Unable to resist, Rin followed Luvia inside just in time to witness how a single wave of the Edelfelt card that was almost a magical article in itself again took care of everything. The young girl behind the desk bowed and bowed, stuttering just a bit. As thankful as Rin was, the display irritated her – and made her a bit jealous.

She caught up to Luvia in a hallway, out of the sight of prying eyes. She set one of the coffers down close enough to Luvia's foot that the blonde halted and pulled her foot out of the way. ”Did you really have to show off again?”

”Oh? When did I...” Luvia touched her own chin in an exaggerated gesture of confoundment.

”That receptionist.”

”Why does it make you so jealous?

”I'm not-, ok, I'm jealous, so if you want me to carry your bags, then at least act like it means something to you.”

”Rin… it does.” Luvia pulled Rin closer. ”It helps me save the money I would spend on your wages.”

”Luvia!”

”Just kidding.” Luvia shook her head and smiled at Rin, putting her hand on the Japanese girl's neck. With that delicate touch on her, Rin couldn't fume for much longer. Feeling what remained of her irritation slowly melt away and spill warm heat to her limbs, Rin put her hands on Luvia's hips, closed her eyes and leaned forwards, her body warm with the promise of meeting her love's soft lips with her own.

Rin's eyes, squeezed so firmly shut, flew open in shock as her lips crashed against a cold piece of plastic.

Pulling her head back, Luvia waved the credit card by her face. ”So this is what you were after, Tohsaka Rin. Crude – even by your standards.”

Rin snatched the card from Luvia's hand, shoved it deep in the blonde's cleavage and gave her answer by tearing Luvia into a deep kiss.

”Ow! What was that for?” Luvia asked.

”You want me to kiss it, then at least hide it somewhere worth kissing.”

”Oh my, Tohsaka Rin. This is a spa, not a love hotel.”

”Then I want to speak with the manager about making an exception.”

”You are speaking to her.”

Rin shook her head. ”Don't tell me you bought the entire spa...”  
Luvia nodded. ”This place will be our little secret.”

”So that's why the receptionist was so worried.”

”Nervous to make a good impression of her new employer, of course.”

”How does a young bimbo like you have so much money?”

”I prey on young and impressionable heiresses.”

Rin couldn't help but giggle at the thought. She, an heiress? And this thing with the spa? Downright scandalous! Two young ladies from the Association, running off to their little retreat in the backwoods of Japan. Scandalous and romantic in equal measure.

”Come on. Let's head in the bath,” Rin said and flashed the most predatory smile she had. ”I'll be extracting payment for your ill intentions.”

-

A dozen meters away from the open-air baths, just close enough to see and still hear, a group of young girls sat concealed in a bush. Kuro worried. So far there was nothing that wouldn't be explained by their two targets being mere friends, but Mimi was always difficult to convince. 

”You see Mimi, there is nothing out of the ordinary here. Just two friends in a bath. Mimi?” Kuro laid her hands Mimi's shoulders and shook the girl. Mimi's eyes were locked in a stare towards the distance and no amount of shaking could make her react.

”K-kuro...” Illya whispered from behind and tapped Kuro on the shoulder.

”What?” Kuro let go of Mimi and turned back around. ”Oh… oh my…”

”Uh, Mimi, that's not what it looks like!”

”It sure sounds like it.” Nanami chimed in. ”Right Suzuka?”

”Y-yes...”

”Mimi, it might look like it, but you can't jump to conclusions here! Mimi!” Illya shook Mimi fiercly, swaying the poor girls head from side to side.

Mimi heard none of it. Years later, when her debut novel – a heartwarming tale of lily love – became an international bestseller, she responded to criticism of excessive eroticism by saying that she only wrote what she had witnessed herself. Not all were convinced, but they bought and read her book all the same.


End file.
